Lonicera

European honeysuckle is a vigorous deciduous twining climber native across much of Europe, North Africa, Turkey, and the Caucasus, valued for its intensely night-scented cream-and-pink flowers in summer and the wildlife value of its red autumn berries. In gardens it is a reliable, long-lived focal point for fences, pergolas, and trellises where its base can be kept cool and shaded. The honest catch is the toxicity of the berries: they contain saponins and are emetic, making the plant a hazard wherever small children or dogs have unsupervised access, so site it accordingly.

A vigorous, twining, semi-evergreen woody vine grown historically for its sweetly fragrant flowers that open white and age to yellow, scenting warm evenings, followed by small black berries. The honest catch, and it is a serious one: Lonicera japonica is one of the most aggressive invasive vines across much of the eastern and central United States. It smothers shrubs, young trees, and native ground layers under a dense blanket, girdles stems as it twines, and is listed as a noxious or invasive weed in many states. Do NOT plant it where it can escape into wild or unmanaged ground. For the same fragrance and far better wildlife value with none of the ecological cost, plant the native coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) instead.